Construct a Chicken Moat for Effective Garden Pest Control

(Page 2 of 2)

May/June 1988
By Gene Gerue 
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Build your gates strong and tight—they're the weak links in the system. And be sure to make at least one gate wider than the widest object (garden cart, tiller, whatever) you will ever wish to move in or out of the garden. Build a tunnel under every gateway out of culvert or concrete block so the hens can easily move between all sections of the moat.

Erect your outer fence first, bracing it securely with diagonal posts at all corners and ends. You can then wire your inner fence to your outer one, as shown in the detail drawing. You'd also be wise to dig a trench and partly bury the outer fence (holding it down with cedar stakes) to discourage burrowing varmints.

Make sure you can get into the moat (with a stepladder or extra gate) for needed maintenance.

We "roofed" the section of the moat near Taj Mahen (our chicken coop) with standard poultry mesh. This area can be closed off, giving the flock a safe haven when we are away overnight. We also designed our moat and hen house complex to provide about 80 square feet per hen. A greater ratio of hens to area would be better; as the season progresses, the weeds grow faster than the flock can eat them. And one last tip (the old free breakfast trick): Leave some old boards in the moat, and flip them over with a hoe handle each morning to expose hiding slugs.

So there it is. Want to be king or queen of all (the garden) you survey? Build a chicken moat!

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  • Lester Carlson 7/23/2009 1:37:41 PM

    That is sure a clever idea!!!!!!

  • Nancy Saucier 3/18/2009 6:17:55 PM

    Genius! What an awesome idea for making two tasks (gardening and raising chickens) work hand in hand. Hoping to move to the country soon, so have printed this article for safekeeping.

  • Nancy Saucier 3/18/2009 6:16:14 PM

    Genius! What an awesome idea for making two tasks (gardening and raising chickens) work hand in hand. Hoping to move to the country soon, so have printed this article for safekeeping.

  • Jennifer 12/1/2008 12:28:39 PM

    We had the same problem our first chicken! First, chickens older than 6-8 months are often very tough. Second, age the meat. We did this in our refrigerator by processing the chicken on one day, usually on the weekend, and putting it into containers. We then rinsed it 5-7 days later and froze what we wanted to keep. This aging helps A LOT! Hope this helps!

  • ALAN JONES 11/19/2008 6:45:05 AM

    Does anybody have any suggestions for cooking home raised chickens? We tried our first last Sunday, but it was too tough to eat!

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